ARTHUR
HANAKSport:Archivist/AdministratorInducted:1994
Country: IsraelBorn: July 1, 1912, in Olomuc, MoraviaDied: July 28, 1993 Arthur Hanak was a founder of Israel’s Pierre Gildesgame Sports
Museum and Archives in 1981 and its first curator. The museum exhibits
the
history of the Maccabi Movement and provides a chronicle of Jews in
sports from the end of the nineteenth century to modern times.

As the longtime archivist of the Maccabi World Union (MWU),
Hanak recorded the history of the organization, authored numerous
MWU historical publications, and collected artifacts and memorabilia
that would one day find their home in the Gildesgame Museum. He also
served on the directorate of the MWU and helped organize many World
Maccabiah Games.

Hanak immigrated twice to the Holy Land. In 1939, he
arrived on an
illegal immigrant ship and was intercepted and interned by the British.
A former Czech army officer, he re-enlisted, and for bravery on the
Russian front, he earned medals from both the French and Czech
governments. Near the end of World War II, he located his younger
sister
at the Theresiendstatt concentration camp, the only survivor of his
family. In 1949, he successfully immigrated to Israel and enlisted
in the
Israeli Army. After serving 13 years in the IDF, he retired with
the rank
of major.